Mark 8:12

Paul Culotta Mark 8:12

He [Jesus] sighed deeply and said, "Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it."

According to the Gospel, these words were uttered after the second miracle of the loaves and fishes (the first time was in Chapter 6 of Mark). Once the crowd had been fed and sent away, Jesus got into the boat and crossed the Sea of Galilee into the region of Dalmanutha. There the Pharisees showed up. Apparently they had heard about the miracle, or perhaps any of the others mentioned in the Gospel (See Mark 6: 39-51, Mark 7: 24-37), and they questioned him. Despite his answers, the Pharisees asked him for a sign from heaven, to prove the veracity of his answers, and today's verse is Jesus' reply.

How many times have you heard of people crying out, "Lord, send me a sign!" just like the Pharisees? There is no denying that Jesus did miraculous things, like tossing out demons that possessed people, curing the deaf and blind, and feeding thousands of people with very little. There is no denying that there are miracles today as well. But what Jesus wanted was the greatest miracle of all: us overcoming our own sinfulness by learning and living his teachings. Indeed, Jesus considered himself not only our savior, but also our teacher, rather than a magician on demand, and it would be well for us to remember that. Turning to scripture and heeding its message gives us miraculous results. Try it!

Prayer: Lord, help us to remember that you are the Almighty, the King of Creation, and that Your word, as revealed in scripture, is the guidepost of our life. In Jesus' name, Amen.